Farmers Must
Page 51
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Overhaul Transport Methods
Transport Arrangements Must Be Modelled on the Lines of Those of Hauliers
THE Oxford mechanization, confer ence, a landmark of power farming, has gone and some of the practical points raised by farmers during the discussion. may be considered. First, there is the important question of farm roads. Some of them are in an appalling state and those leading to farms should receive consideration from the local authorities. Rough roads should also be constructed on the land for farm haulage; some farmers find employment for their men, during the winter, in making them.
Mr. S. J. Wright did not think that farmers handled transport as they should and alone of them seemed to 144-, prepared to face the limelight as regards methods or costs of general transport. Before they could be successful, farmers would have to tackle haulage from the same standpoint as did contractors.
The question arose as to the best method of hauling potatoes from the land as they are dug, and Mr. D. R. Bomford, who is a large grower, told the conference that he found the twowheeled tractor-drawn trailer to be most suitable for the purpose. A further point was made as to land transport and received general agreement; it was to the effeot that the pneumatic-tyred tractor, with strakes, or an improved tread, would eventually provide the best solution of the problem of haulage on the land.
Many farmers, it was stated, made the mistake of using only one trailer when two or more should be employed. When any quantity of haulage had to be undertaken, the economic plan was to keep the tractor continually at work, and this object could not be achieved unless several trailers were in service.
On the cultivational side, many points arose regarding the tractor. One referred to its use in potato planting, especially for covering up the planted rows. The suggestion was made that this work may be done by machinery mounted in front of the tractor, as in the case of the haysweep.
Mr. William Rogers, a market grower from Kent, said he valued the row-crop tractor for work amongst vegetables, especially for the purpose of mechanical cross-hoeing.
Mr. Bomford said that for lifting potatoes he found the tractor-drawn ridging plough with tines to be the best. He also revealed that before using tractors he had to keep 40 horses. With his first tractor, horses were reduced in number to 15. Now he had only four horses and experienced difficulty in finding work for them.
One farmer, who had adopted mechanization, said that dispensing with horses had enabled him to save £10 a week.